James Ross, Analogy

James Ross, Analogy

Author: James Ross

Year: 1922

Analogy is fundamentally defined as similarity existing alongside difference, manifesting across the domains of meaning, thought, and reality . The systematic foundation of analogy theory originated with Aristotle, who categorized it into three distinct parts: analogy of meaning, analogous thinking, and analogy of being . Aristotle’s framework distinguished between analogies of attribution—based on causal relationships or representations (e.g., medical skill versus medical supplies)—and analogy of proportionality, which follows the structure A : B :: C : D, where the common predicate is related in meaning but not identical . In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas adapted these Aristotelian concepts to resolve the central dilemma of religious discourse: the tension between univocity (anthropomorphism) and equivocity (unintelligibility) . Aquinas argued that words applied to both God and creatures function through participated being, where a creature’s existence is a finite reflection of God’s infinite perfection . This framework allows for the predication of "pure perfections"—such as life, intelligence, and love—by maintaining the content of the term (res significata) while adjusting